20 of the Most Famous Houses in Movie History

In some movies, a residential home becomes an actual character in the story due to its unusual appearance, breathtaking location, or because we connect it forever in our hearts with an unforgettable scene. Whether these homes can be found by GPS, or only in our imagination, their ability to “set the scene” in our favorite films give them honored status in movie history. Although there are many iconic houses in movies, here are 20 that we felt were the most memorable.

The Amityville Horror House

Although the address has changed its digits, and the home no longer features those sinister “peeking eye” windows, 112 Ocean Avenue, now 108 Ocean Avenue, in Amityville, Long Island, still attracts thousands of tourists, especially around Halloween. In 1974, Ron Defeo Jr. shot and killed his entire family there, and was purchased by a couple, George and Kathy Lutz, who fled from the house due to its being diabolically haunted. The book about the haunting, The Amityville Horror, was made into a blockbuster movie with endless sequels, and all of them feature the house itself as the most menacing character. Later occupants who have inhabited the house say the home is perfectly normal, except for die hard fans of the films holding seances outside their door, and ripping off parts of the home to keep as souvenirs. Whether you believe the story about the Lutz haunting or not, this home’s real life tragic history is bound to give you the creeps.

The Dakota Apartments, Rosemary’s Baby

Another building with a haunting cinematic and real crime history is The Dakota, a freaky, Gothic style apartment building that was the natural choice to stand in for the fictional Bramford Apartment House when filming began for Rosemary’s Baby. During the opening credits of the 1968 film, an aerial camera pans over New York City and then swoops down on the imposing structure, which in the story, has a very nasty reputation for black magic and murder. The Bramford is a main character in the film as it is the haven of Satanic worshipers, who scheme (with Rosemary’s husband), to impregnate her with Satan’s spawn.  Overlooking Central Park at One West 72nd street, the imposing Dakota is a swanky co-op property. In 1973 the Dakota acquired The Beatles John Lennon as one of their celebrity residents, and he was fatally shot outside of the creepy building in 1980 by a deranged fan.

A Christmas Story Parker Home

Ralphie, Randy and mom and dad lived on Cleveland Street in Indiana in the holiday favorite film based on Jean Shepherd’s story, In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash. The movie’s outdoor scenes were actually filmed at 3159 W. 11th Street in Cleveland, Ohio and the indoor scenes on a set. A devoted fan of the film, Brian Jones, purchased the Ohio home on E bay for $150, 000 in 2005, restored the exterior to all its quirky, old fashioned glory, and converted the home’s interior to painstakingly match the movie set. You can just picture Ralphie dashing outside to try out his new Red Rider BB gun. It is now open as a museum where visitors can relive all the holiday fun year round.

Home Alone Home

A beautiful Georgian style Illinois home, located outside of Chicago at 671 Lincoln Avenue in Winnetka, IL, was chosen for another holiday blockbuster, aptly titled Home Alone. The home is an important part of the story, as the outside of the house just oozes affluence, making it the perfect attraction for bumbling burglars. Unfortunately, the family went off on holiday leaving mischievous Kevin alone to defend the mini-mansion. The home was last listed for a cool 1.585 million dollars, according to Zillow.com

Sleepless in Seattle Designer Houseboat

Remember that crafty style houseboat with the lovely modern interior that was home to widow Tom Hanks and his son? Sleepless in Seattle made houseboats cool again with this designer “floating home” on Lake Union near Pike Place Market. A cleverly titled article for the Seattle PI, Sleepless in Seattle Houseboat for Sale-Tom Hanks Not Included, says the houseboat from the movie was for sale in 2008.  It has 4 bedrooms and 2 baths.  With the streamlined architectural details of the interior, even Meg Ryan couldn’t complain. Psychologically, using a houseboat for their residence may also allude to the fact that father and son were “adrift” without a woman in the house.

Pee-Wee Herman’s House, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure

The makers of his first film Pee-Wees Big Adventure, had to find a house that matched his child like personality. Upon finding a lovely little home owned by a Chinese woman for use in the film, they set about to paint it red, an idea that horrified the owner, as she feared her neighbors would brand her a communist. Still, who can forget the lovely flower beds and white picket fence of this imaginative playhouse style home?  I can still picture Francis and Pee Wee speaking right outside the home.

Jack Horner’s House, Boogie Nights

In the movie, this house was a have for huge parties that contained lots of sex, drug use and even suicide. The cheerful, sunny California residence was the perfect location for the “good times” of the adult film business with the pitiful undertone: not everything is as it seems, as Dirk Diggler eventually discovers. You can map it at Jack-horners-house-19519-cameron-street-covina-ca-, but I wouldn’t go knocking on the door expecting a party.   Looks kind of morbid doesn’t it?  It’s surprising how fun it looked in the movie.

Frank-N-Furters Castle, The Rocky Horror Picture Show

When Brad and Janet were stranded that stormy night, they found shelter, (and a very eye-opening experience) when they found the stately mansion at Oakley Court, Maidenhead, Berkshire in the UK. It has since been transformed into the Oakley Court Hotel. To find out more about the restoration of the “shell” that was used to film Rocky Horror, go to http://www.timewarp.org.uk/oakleycourt.  Needless to say it would be close to impossible feeling “normal” spending the night at this hotel.   Not with transvestite Tim Curry leading the charge.

Charlie’s Beach House, Top Gun

Remember that beach bungalow where Charlie and Maverick “took our breath away” in that steamy love scene? The house where that iconic rendezvous took place is located at 102 South Pacific Street in Oceanside, California. The actress who played Charlie, Kelly McGillis actually lived in the home during filming. The 1887 built house was slated for destruction, but due to its part in Top Gun, it was restored, according to Curbed Los Angeles.  Will there be another Top Gun?  Only time will tell.

M’s House, Skyfall

In the Jame’s Bond novels and film franchise, the character of “M” has always been shrouded in mystery. In Skyfall we get to see where this iconic character, played by film veteran Dame Judy Dench, spends her time when she’s not keeping the world safe. In the film, Bond hows up there to let her know he is alive. Located at 82 Cadagon Square, in Knightbridge, London, it was the real life home of John Barry, who composed many of the themes for the James Bond films.

“Recently Deceased” House, Beetlejuice

The Maintland’s loved their modern castle style home, which overlooked a tiny village in Connecticut. After their death, a modern artist and her wacky family moves in, and takes over the house with horrid ideas which force the deceased couple to force an eviction, and they enlist the help of a “bioexorcist” to do the job. The plan backfires and both families agree to share the home in the end. Unfortunately, this amazing home exists only on film, as the outside was a facade built on a very ordinary home to be used for the movie, which filmed in Vermont, not Connecticut.

Overlook Hotel, The Shining

Stephen King credits a stay at The Stanley Hotel in Colorado for his penning of the novel which was made into a hit movie starring Jack Nicholson. When actually filming the movie, director Stanley Kubrick chose the Timberland Hotel for the exterior shots, which added to the cinematic beauty of the film The Stanley is still quite a tourist attraction and they hold an annual “Shining Ball” at Halloween time.  Would you want to be in attendance for that party?  I wouldn’t.

Cullen Vampire Lodge, Twilight Series

When Edward takes Bella home to meet his family, she was expecting a castle or old, creepy house. Instead, the vampire residence is a modern style wooden abode with lots of natural light. According to Greenlable.com, this “green” home is called Hoke House, and is a private residence tucked back in the woods of Oregon.  We don’t know what the price is of the home but we hear it’s estimated to be in the millions.   After all, a rich doctor vampire lived there so you really can’t argue with that.

Bella Swan’s House, Twilight Series

In sharp contrast to the swanky Cullen digs, Bella’s house is ordinary, just like her. The two story craftsman style home is located at 775 K Street in Forks, Washington, which has become a mecca for “Twihards”, be they Team Edward or Team Jacob.  It’s amazing that such a “normal” house would be a “shrine” for movie goers but given the success of the Twilight Series it’s a lot more believable.  Also, it’s a home that many people can relate to, unlike some of the more extreme homes on this list.

Bates House, Psycho

This studio masterpiece that looms above the Bates Motel is the foreboding mansion where “Mother” and Norman share their lives, and commit a few murders. It is actually a house on the Universal Studios lot that stood in shambles until restoration for the 1983 sequel, Psycho II. Many say that the design was inspired by a painting entitled “House by the Railroad” by Edward Hopper, although studio execs have denied the claim.

Owen’s Family Home, Practical Magic

Although the story takes place in New England, the exterior of the home where the witch family resided was built just for the movie on an island located in Washington State. Eight months after filming, the gorgeous Victorian house shell was destroyed, although this magical home will continue to delight fans of the whimsical movie. Who can forget the sisters in full witch gear descending from that roof top on Halloween?

Nightmare Tenant House, Pacific Heights

Buying an expensive Victorian style home in pricey San Francisco can be a gamble if you need to rent out half of it to make the mortgage. Unlike his role in Beetlejuice, Michael Keaton in the 1990 thriller Pacific Heights is just a mortal sociopath who sets out to destroy the home and the yuppie couple’s happiness. You will never look at a nail gun the same way again after viewing the ending. The actual home is not located in Pacific Heights, but on 19th Street, Potrero Hill, in San Francisco.

4 Privet Drive, Harry Potter franchise

Home of the muggle family, The Dursley’s, and the wizard orphan Harry Potter, the house is most memorable for the scene where Harry, who had enough of Aunt Marge’s dissing his parents, inflated her and sent her out the window and floating over the neighborhood. The little boy lived “under the stairs” on a movie set, not inside the real residence. The real house used for the outdoor shots is “Privet” indeed, as it is a private residence located in Leaveden in the UK.

Beach House, Something’s Gotta Give

Finding a right location in the Hampton’s for this romantic romp movie was not much of a challenge, due to the many exclusive beach front homes in this area. The charm of the house plus the beachfront views added to the ambiance of this hit film about sex, true love, and misunderstandings. Although like many films , the interior shots were filmed on set, the classy beach home used for outdoor filming was last sold in 2014 for 41 million dollars, according to Hooked on Houses. The address is 576 Meadow Lane, South Hampton, NY, but expect to be arrested for trespassing, rather than an invite from Diane Keaton if you show up for an up closer look.

Elliot’s House: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

You can easily find the home that was used for the blockbuster film E.T, as the outside appearance looks much the same as it did in the 1982 classic about a hapless alien hiding in the closet of an ordinary family, until the government comes to capture him. This home, located at 7121 Lonzo Street, in Tujunga, CA, was also revisited by E.T child star Drew Barrymore years later in a very grown up scene in Charlie’s Angels.